Crew Log for November 18th, 2022
Trip Summary:
Beaufort, NC – Mile Hammock Bay, Camp Lajeune
Trip Distance of 34 NM, Total Distance To-Date of 1,783.1 NM
Departed at 07h00, arrived at 14h45
This stretch of the ICW would take us through Camp Lajeune, a 246 square mile military training facility along the North Carolina coast. It covers over 14 miles of beaches and serves as a base for amphibious assault training for the US Marine Corps. In addition to the usual challenges of navigating the narrow, and shallow waters of the ICW, occasionally there are “live fire” exercises at Camp Lajeune which result in a temporary closure of the waterway.
Mile Hammock Bay, which was within the boundaries of Camp Lajeune and controlled by the Marine Corps, was our destination for today. I am not sure how true they are, but fellow cruisers have told stories of marines making there way across the bay in the middle of the night. As exciting as sounded, the only activity we saw on shore was a few people fishing and someone walking their dog.
It was a bright, sunny day (relevant information for the rest of the story), but it was still very cool. Our departure from the dock at Beaufort went smoothly and we made our way our of the harbor.
The ICW, particularly around major centers, where several bodies of water converge, can be a confusing array of navigation bouys, all seeming to suggest you set course for a different direction. In addition to the chartplotter to guide us, what we have resorting to relying on is, “Bob’s Tracks from the ICW Cruising Guide” and the autoroute track from Navionics, both of which we run on our phones. It works well, particularly in areas like Beaufort where you can easily go astray.
We have noted that our “windows” on our dodger and enclosure seem to fog over in the mornings, and remain hazy until they warm up. No matter how much we try to dry them off, warmth seems to be the only cure for blurred visibility. As we rounded the outer island from Beaufort, we were pointed directly into the sun. The glare from the sun combined with the hazing dodger windows really hampered our visibility.
I slowed the boat as we tried to navigate the narrow exit. I noted a navigation mark off our starboard side, which was very close to shore, and what I thought was another off the port. Seconds before I realized that the port side mark was actually a “no wake” warning, Elizabeth M bumped into the soft mud. We were in 5 feet of water at the back of the boat and showing 2 feet off the bow. Fortunately, we were able to “wiggle” the boat off the mud and get ourselves back out into the channel. We did “bounce” one more time, but managed to slide off easily. They say that everyone gets stuck on the ICW at least once, we hope this was our moment!
As we approached Camp Lajeune, there were several large warning signs advising of the possibility of live fire exercises. Not something we’ve ever seen before in our cruising activities. We were comforted in the knowledge that the marines would restrict entrance into the training area, rather than finding ourselves accidentally in the midst of a mock warzone.
As relieved as we were that we weren't in the line of fire, the sight of a massive dredging rig with hundreds of feet of pipe trailing behind it coming towards us down the narrow ICW, renewed our stress levels. The operator assured oncoming boats that there was adequate room to pass on the “red side” and to keep moving past the rig.
Mile Hammock Bay is a popular anchorage given it is halfway between Beaufort, NC and the Wrightsville – Carolina Beach area. It is also extremely well protected on all sides, except of course, from a possible Marine assault. There were 6 – 7 sailboats on anchor, including several Canadian (Quebec) boats, and as many trawlers. Shortly after we arrived, Sailing Zephyr Youtubers also came in, although I resisted the urge to yell out to them again.
It was pizza night, which is always helpful in taking the chill off the boat. As we were waiting for it to coming out of the oven, Allison called Judy for bird advice. It is always great to hear from the kids and even more so when they call for advice. Spirits were high on Elizabeth M as we watched a beautiful sunset over the anchorage.
The peacefulness of Mile Hammock Bay was interrupted with the sound of marine aircraft overhead as it got dark. We couldn’t see the planes, but someone thought they might have been the “Vertical Take Off and Landing” (VTOL) planes we spotted over Beaufort earlier. Whatever they were, they were loud and rattled Elizabeth M as they flew over.
We were very comfortable in Mile Hammock Bay and appreciated why it was a popular stop. However, the frost on the boat in the morning was a sure sign that we had to keep moving south. We were off to Wrightsville, or so we thought.
But more about that, next time.
Additional photos:
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